CherryVale Mall
'CherryVale Mall '( originally 'The Mall at CherryVale ') is a two-story, enclosed shopping mall located at the southeast corner of Rockford, near the town of Cherry Valley and the intersection of US 20, Interstate 39, and Interstate 90. It is the largest mall in Rockford, and also the largest mall in northern Illinois that is not located within the boundaries of Chicago or it's suburbs. The mall is notable for being the first mall in the Rockford metropolitan area that was designed as a fully enclosed shopping mall, along with the opening of the first Marshall Field's department store in Illinois outside the Chicago area. The mall was originally developed by the Richard E. Jacobs Group, and was acquired by CBL & Associates Properties in 2001. The current anchors are Macy's ( previously Marshall Field's ), JCPenney ( added in 2004 ), and Sears ( original store ). History Construction ( 1971 - 1973 ) The land in which the foundation of the mall would be laid out was chosen to be a large area occupied mainly by farmland just northwest off the intersection of US 20, I-39, and I-90, and bordering a neighborhood by S. Bell School Road, and the old Charles Street. In the construction process, a few houses had to be demolished down to the ground. Near the end of construction, a large water tower was built near the northwest corner of the mall in order to efficiently supply water to the new complex. The design was laid out in a simple fashion - a center court with a main entrance to the mall located in the north side, and the Marshall Field's building toward the south side. Two wings would extend from the west and east sides, with two other entrances near the end of the west wing, and the Sears building at the end of the east wing, with another two entrances. Skylights were placed on the ceiling at every court. Early days ( 1973 - 1980 ) The Mall at CherryVale opened in the fall of 1973, at first with only a two-story Sears department store ( opened in September 26 ) and a handful of stores. In October, a three-story Marshall Field's department store opened. By this point, the mall was now home to a total of 23 additional stores - some of which include Casual Corner, Kroch & Brentano's Booksellers, Lane Bryant, and Chess King and Disc Records. Within a year of the opening, H.C Prange was added to the mall's current anchors. The mall was expanded with a new building ( two stories ) toward the end of the west wing that would be home to Prange's, and an empty space on the lower level would be home to Prange Way, a discount store chain also belonging to H.C Prange. In 1975, the mall opened a movie theater complex located within a free-standing building in the northeast parking lot, near Sears. This mall-exclusive theater was known officially as "Cherryvale Theatres" and quickly gained attention. This would be the first of two of the theater complexes the mall opened. Rapid growth ( 1980 - 1989 ) By the beginning of the 1980s, the mall took on the shorter, present-day name "CherryVale Mall". Following the growth of the mall, several businesses were beginning to use the outlots surrounding the mall, resulting in a rapid growth. A large automobile dealership was built on the far northeast side of the main mall complex. A gas station was also added, near the dealership. A bowling alley, officially known as "The Cherry Bowl" was another addition, and it was constructed on the northwest side. Many other smaller businesses sprang up over the years, making the area around the mall what it is today. It has also been speculated that the growth of the mall prompted the construction of Magic Waters, a large waterpark located directly east from the mall, but not quite in the surrounding space. Struggles and renovations ( 1989 - 2001 ) In the late 1980s, the Prange Way discount store on the lower level closed, as H.C Prange, it's parent company, was making efforts to exit Prange Way from Illinois and remain exclusive to Wisconsin. Afterwards, the mall underwent its first major renovation. The Prange Way space on the lower floor was converted into a food court, something the mall never had since it opened. Originally, the food court had Sbarro's and Quencher's Smoothies, both of which are still operating today. New decoration was added as well, and the mall began to change its original 1970s interior. In 1992, H.C Prange was acquired by Iowa-based Younkers, converting the Prange's building at the mall to Younkers. A few years later, in 1996, the anchor once again changed, this time to Bergner's, following the acquisition of Younkers. Bergners would remain at the mall until 2018. After years of struggling against other large multiplexes in the region, the mall would close both of its movie theaters, with the freestanding theater closed in 1999. The smaller lower-level movie theater was closed two years later, in 2001. The lower-level movie theater was remodeled into retail space shortly after its closure, though the freestanding movie theater would remain vacant until the early 2010s, when it was purchased, remodeled, and became a trampoline park ( not associated with the mall ). Acquisition and later years In 2001, the mall was acquired by its current owners, CBL & Associates Properties. Shortly after the acquisition of the mall, the new owners began rolling out a few changes, the most major one being a street expansion project around the mall, connecting two major streets to eachother; South Perryville Road, which had previously ended right at Harrison Ave, was expanded northward, now reaching Newburg Road and it's intersection with North Perryville Road. Afterwards, most of North Perryville Road was renamed South Perryville Road ( because of the roads merging ) and North Perryville Road was pushed back norther, past the intersection with East State Street. The street expansion made it much easier to get to the mall, and it sprang up opportunities for commercial businesses to build beside Perryville Road. The commercial developments included a large Hilander grocery store ( now Schnucks ), a Menards store across the mall, and a few restaurants, including Dairy Queen. Gallery 1986Cherryvale.jpg|Parking lot, 1986 Prange's.jpg|Prange's, 1980s Entrance2004.jpg|South entrance, 2004 Christmas1980.jpg|Central court, 1980 Theater1989.jpg|CherryVale Theatres, 1989 MarshallFields1973.jpg|Marshall Field's, as viewed from the interior in 1973. Category:Shopping centers